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The Cohen Icosahedron

Chapter 12

copyright comidacomida 2021

Unlike in the morning, Kaiden was not able to ride his classmate back to the classroom; regardless, Kytskir showed him a shortcut and they made it back with time to spare-- which was a good thing since the Human wasn't able to move at a quick pace without some 'discomfort' from his posterior. In fact, between lunch in one end and 'other stuff' from the other, he was full beyond measure. The two of them sat down in their usual spot as the rest of the class trickled in and Kaiden once again found himself surrounded by his usual group.

The vast majority of the classmates sharing his study area were their normal selves, talking over one another in the Viddin way, speaking about everything they normally discussed after a lunch break. Tral and Hahn were joking about something-or-other; Nittik and Pririn were sharing a (not so private) discussion about splitting a Human over the weekend (Kaiden found himself blushing profusely despite them not naming names); Sokkas, as usual, was more focused on his data pad than the rest of the Viddin around him; Kytskir was trying to talk over all of them and inform them that class would begin in mere moments.

Despite all of the chaos and gryphon squawks, what really caught Kaiden's attention was Vetlyk. The tawny furred Viddin staring right at him, aquiline eyes watching him intently... almost judgingly. The Human found that he couldn't stand looking back to the regal creature without even knowing why and instead looked quickly away, attention going back to Kytskir, who had settled down next to him rather than across the table, which was the cheetah/owl's usual spot. That made the Human pause. "Everything okay, Kytskir?"

Kytskir let out a pleased squawk-hoot. "Everything is very okay, Kawkikikik, and, as I already said: you may call me Kyt."

Feeling his cheeks redden more, Kaiden knew that he shouldn't have had anything to be ashamed of or embarrassed about but he couldn't stop the reaction. Fortunately, Tral pulled the group's attention away from him. "Oh ho! And I thought you did not like being called Kyt, Kyt!"

The smaller gryphon looked right at the largest of the group. "Only Kaiden gets to call me Kyt. YOU can call me Kytskir."

The matter of fact statement got a laugh out of all of the Viddin sharing the table with Kaiden, and, once he realized the focus had been pulled off of him the Human was happy to laugh along. A gentle nudge under the table from a paw and a pointed wink from Tral made him realize that the redirection of attention had not been an accident. Despite the huge gryphon's general sense of oblivious well-meaning he was definitely capable of being astute when he wanted to be. Feeling the eyes of Vetlyk on him, however, Kaiden realized that a certain amount of astuteness was okay, but too much was downright uncomfortable.

Although the general unease lessened once class began, Kaiden couldn't help but feel that Vetlyk was paying more attention to him than the lessons. Regardless, the afternoon portion of the instruction passed and, finally, Kaiden was relieved to know that he would be free to compose himself, and maybe look into sitting down and having a discussion with the intense Viddin. That, however, was not how things turned out-- especially once Nittik clamored atop their shared table once class ended, turned around to face the collective Viddin sharing the spot with the Human, and announced "Okay... so-- almost everyone here had some 'tutoring time' with Kaiden except for Hahn and Sokkas..."

Without waiting for Nittik to finish his announcement, most of Kaiden's study group began taking sides, selecting one Viddin or the other to accompany him next. Nittik and Prirn were quick to suggest Sokkas while Kyt and Tral were of a mind that Han would be a good choice. Vetlyk, however, did not appear to be interested in playing the 'match making' game. He shoved his way past Hahn and Sokkas both, mumbling something amidst everyone else talking-- so quick and bland that Kaiden didn't quite catch it, though it sounded something along the lines of "going to go study... this is just a distraction."

It took another ten minutes (with extra onlookers, which made Kaiden even more self conscious) before the group finally came to a conclusion, at which point everyone departed as if a communal mind guided them, leaving Kaiden alone with Hahn. The cougar/hawk's feathers fluffed around his head even as the golden brown fur on his body puffed up and he put on the biggest beaky grin as he could do in as theatrical manner as possible, announcing "Yay, Kaiden-- you just won the grand prize! Cheering-crowd-sounds."

Unlike Tral, who would likely have mimicked the sound that Hahn actually described to sell himself and the idea of being the best option out of all choices, Hahn did not. The gryphon, in fact, spoke them with obvious self-depreciating irony and, rather than imitating the sound of a stadium full of adoring celebrants (Viddin were incredibly good at creating a rough simulacrum of it, much in the way a Human would exhale 'haaaaaaaaa'), Hahn simply stated the three words in monotone; his humor was often colorful, but he definitely had the capacity to show off a scathing, dry wit as well, especially in satire.

Kaiden gathered up his data pad and slid it into the shoulder bag he used to carry it. "I guess I should just be used to having all of you decide who I'm hanging out with, huh?"

The statement was more of a comment on how quickly his classmates had chosen his path for him, not that he specifically objected to it, but Hahn took it in stride; whether or not he was bothered by the statement, the Viddin flicked his tail, the black tip at the end creating a black streak through the air from left-to-right, and offered a wry, beaky smirk as he said "It sounds like the crowd did NOT go wild..."

Unlike the first time when Hahn described a sound, the gryphon actually made one, mimicking the sound of a field of crickets at nightfall, chirping to accentuate the silence coming from Kaiden. The Human rolled his eyes; Hahn had a habit of taking nothing seriously, least of all himself. Choosing to face the situation head on, Kaiden headed for the exit, pausing to wait and holding the door open for his cougar/hawk classmate to catch up. "So... did you and Sokkas pop blood feathers or something to decide who won?"

The Viddin had many ways to determine the victor in a conflict over a decision. Just like Humans had their 'rock-paper-scissors' or 'drawing straws', the gryphons often chose to go for something more personal; a game of 'blood feathers' consisted of each Viddin taking turns pulling out one of their still-growing feathers and the first one to bleed lost. Kaiden had heard stories of young gryphons nearly going bald from playing it too often but he didn't know if they were rumors or held an element of truth.

Hahn trotted a little faster so he catch up to Kaiden before slowing his gait to walk beside him. The Viddin's throat contracted noticeably as he utilized his syrnix to create more effects; although most gryphons could do a fair job of creating sounds, Hahn was an expert. He mimicked what sounded like a bubble popping followed by a pained exclamation of 'ow', and then a droplet of fluid hitting a hard surface. The Human's four-legged companion then lashed Kaiden's thigh with his tail. "Nah... I said I would claw his eyes out if I did not get time with you next and Sokkas said he was not about to fight for it."

Glacing to Hahn, Kaiden wasn't completely sure whether the Viddin was posturing or was actually being serious. Hahn was the size of a huge Land Earth Wolf while Sokkas would have given a pony a run for its money so the size difference was obviously skewed and, even though the leopard/vulture was thinner, Hahn was still a lower weight class by a significant number of pounds. In the end, the Human settled on incredulity. "Really?"

His companion's facial feathers puffed up as he smirked. "Nah-- I mean, Sokkas DID say he did not want to fight over it, so I jumped in and said sure, I would spend some time with you. Hopefully you are not getting tired of Viddin yet."

There was a certain tightrope Kaiden was forced to walk when dealing with the gryphons, not just because he was a Unity Programme student and assigned to the Unity Centre on Plateau Earth, but also because he'd had sexual relations with five of his seven classmates, and he couldn't help but think that there was a certain 'significance' to that. In the end, Kaiden settled for straight forward honesty, but kept it vague. "I wouldn't be part of the Unity Programme if I was going to 'get tired' of Viddin."

Hahn's smile widened and, for a moment, Kaiden thought that the gryphon was going to toss out yet another joke of some kind. Instead, the gryphon's padding gait took on a slightly more springy step. "Good! I'm glad to hear that, Kaiden. Normally I would suggest going for a glide but... well... considering you do not have wings I guess we will settle for a walk then"

'Going for a glide' was the Viddin equivalent to 'going for a walk' so the comparison wasn't lost to Kaiden. The gryphons of Plateau Earth flew almost everywhere, and usually traveled with both purpose and speed; to 'go for a glide' meant taking one's time and enjoying the journey by spending time with someone-- not at all that different to 'going for a walk'. Kaiden was earnestly surprised that the study group's 'class clown' had such a mundane plan in mind. "Go for a walk, huh?"

Hahn flicked him with his tail again. "Unless you plan on growing wings, sure. You have some pretty amazing paw...talo--" the Viddin ground his beak in frustration "I mean HANDS--" having been speaking in the Viddin tongue, Hahn switched to English for the emphasized word since their language didn't have an equivalent "-- but you are still no closer to feathered flight."

Kaiden was willing to play along with Hahn's obvious interest in identifying differences, doing so in underwhelming sarcastic agreement. "And only two legs... sure, we're drastically inferior. I get it."

His companion actually bumped into him with his whole body, very nearly sending Kaiden into the wall. As he corrected himself, the Human felt his butt smacked by the Viddin's tail. "And you can somehow trip with only two legs... we get by on fine with four, which takes SO much more coordination, and yet you have trouble with half that."

Slightly ahead of Kaiden, Han ended up guiding the journey, heading outside to the landing strip but, rather than go that direction he curved them back along the length of the Centre, choosing one of the lower walkways which lead along a path with a guardrail along the cliff face beneath the campus. The Human waited until they were out of earshot of some of the other students who appeared to be studying before he shot back. "True... but we can carry a higher percentage of our body weight and still manage to move at close to top speed."

Hahn snorted in response. "That is because your top speed doe not include flying, you silly zfielt. If we are talking ground speed we have you beat weighted down or not."

Kaiden smirked, more than ready to bring out his trump card. "Probably... but I can open a pickle jar."

He'd never really heard an explanation as to why but, for some reason, Viddin all had an incredible love of pickles. There was such demand for them among the gryphons, in fact, that any shipment from Land Earth was treated as if it was gold being transported. Preparation of pickles in a culinary setting was likewise monitored and any vinegar-brined vegetable was carefully controlled. Human scientists had been conducting experiments for over two years regarding why it was the Viddin seemed to obsessed with them but whatever results came about because of it were not yet published-- plenty of Viddin volunteered to take part in trials, however, so there was no shortage of study. From what Kaiden could remember, Hahn had been one of them. The gryphon almost missed a step, murmuring "Mmm... pickles..."

Chuckling, Kaiden came to a stop as the two approached a stone bench set down where the pathway grew wider. He took a seat, gazing out at the darknening sky and Hahn sat down on the gravel beside it. Silence prevailed for long enough that the Human began to wonder if the gryphon planned on adding to the conversation; in the end, gazing across the great drop to the sea of sand far down below, the Human did. "So... I guess the lower desert looks much more different from the cliff side than from the air, huh?"

Hahn glanced his way. "You should know that for yourself, Kaiden... I thought Tral took you for a flight last night."

The Human winced inwardly, rolling his eyes; of course the Viddin would have discussed such things-- they were naturally gregarious and eager to share information. "Oh, right. I did... it was a pretty unique experience. It was fun, even if I felt like Tral was going to drop me a few times."

The gryphon beside him slowly rotated his head 90 degrees to stare his direction. "Drop you? I thought you were riding him. How would he drop you if you were on top?" Before Kaiden could answer, a mischevious glint twinkled in his eye. "Well... on top during the flight, anyway, eh, zfelt?"

There was no doubt in Kaiden's mind what Hahn meant but the Human was not about to rise to the bait. "When we were coming in for a landing on the return trip he did a barrel roll so he could grab me and--"

Hahn spoke right over him, laughing as he did so "--and carry you like a hunted Zofra?!"

Kaiden felt his cheeks flush at the chiding comment but he certainly couldn't deny it that he'd essentially thought the same thing. In the end, he begrudgingly added "It made landing easier for us."

Whether Hahn was done having his fun, or perhaps perceived that Kaiden wasn't quite as appreciative of the chiding, the Viddin changed focus and took a more calm tone as he asked "And what about Vetlyk? You flew with him too I bet, right?"

On one hand, Kaiden was surprised that Hahn knew anything about his time with Vetlyk but, on the other hand, he was also surprised that he didn't know that. "How much DO you know about what's been going on with the others... and no, I didn't fly with Vetlyk. You didn't know that, huh?"

Hahn provided the responses to the questions in rapid succession. "A lot, because we talk... and no-- Vetlyk does not talk about personal stuff very much. He is very haughty in that way. You know that.

Kaiden certainly did know that, and had spent most of the day in class under the lion/eagle Vidday's gaze. That brought up another question in the Human's mind. "Do you think Vetlyk is unhappy with me?"

The gryphon beside him didn't even miss a beat. "Vetlyk is unhappy in general. But, no, Kaiden... I do not think Vetlyk has any reason to be unhappy with you. I think all of us are very happy to have you as a classmate-- even Vetlyk."

Shrugging, the Human let out a sigh. "Well... I still can't help but feel like it. He kept looking at me during class today. I wonder if he was expecting us to--"

In true Viddin fashion, Hahn starting talking before Kaiden had finished his statement. "Of course he was looking at you; Viddin stare at things we like, and I do not think anyone in the class doubts that he likes you. Like I said, all of us do."

There was something about the casual candor from his classmate that left Kaiden just a little more at ease. He decided to pull the discussion back to an earlier topic. "Anyway, Hahn, why so much interest in my flight with Tral or whether or not I flew with Vetlyk?"

The gryphon at his side fluffed his wings out in a Viddin version of a shrug. "For someone who can not fly it must be an amazing experience. Tral and Vetlyk can offer that to you-- even Sokkas might be able to glide with you, but I cannot."

It didn't sound liek Hahn's usual self-depreciating humor; it actually came across as the class clown seriously acknowledging a shortcoming and it left Kaiden a little unbalanced in the conversation. "Why not? I mean... are you sure?"

The cougar/hawk nodded in a surprisingly serious way. "Yes. All Viddin need to know what they can handle when flying and the most I have been able to carry was 9 kott."

A kott was a Viddin measurement of weight and amounted to approximately 7.44 kg, but almost exactly 16.4 pounds. It was also one of the reasons why Kaiden knew that he weighed exactly 164 pounds-- he weighed 10 kott, or 74.39kg. That explained much. "Oh... I guess that means you COULDN'T fly with me then."

Hahn nodded. "Yep... probably could not even manage to glide."

It was a sticking point for some reason for the Viddin, but Kaiden wasn't about to let that ruin the evening. "Okay... so you can't fly with me-- you shouldn't let that bother you; I don't compare classmates over things like that anyway."

The gryphon's playful demeanor immediately replaced his serious expression and tone. "You should, Kaiden... Viddin do it all the time!"

Kaiden couldn't help but smirk at that assessment. "I'm not a Viddin, which means I don't do things the Viddin way. If anything, I do things the Human way, even though I'm here in Plateau Earth."

Hahn scoffed theatrically and reached up with a talon to poke him in the forearm. "You are a hypocrite, zfelt. The Unity Programme says you should be learning how to do things our way if you are on our Earth."

Kaiden joined him for a laugh, happy enough to do so at his own expense in that regard, and the two returned to a sense of quiet-- much more comfortable than the prior one. He didn't track how long they sat there, but did notice the first tell-tale sounds of a drizzle starting. The pitter-patter of tiny droplets quickly transitioned to a soft rain but the two were under the cover of an overhang so it didn't affect them. Kaiden let his mind wander at that, even as Hahn rested his head on the Human's thigh.

Another minute passed as the young man began running his fingers through the cowl of feathers on the Viddin's neck until he stopped; there was a leather band surrounding it. Drawing his hand back, Kaiden had to ask. "Are you... wearing a collar?"

Hahn's feathers puffed up a little then laid back down. "Yes. It is a keepsake from Kalsig, an Ilsit drone who works for my family."

There were a number of questions that Kaiden could have asked, but the one that came to mind first had to do with a pattern Kaiden had noticed. "Do all Ilsit names end in 'g'?"

Rather than provide an answer, Hahn had a question of his own. "Why? How many Ilsit names do you know?"

Not quite ready to be done answering questions, Kaiden shot right back with another. "How is it you have an Ilsit working for your family?"

Hahn didn't even miss a beat. "Same ways as Kytskir and Tral-- I have a family member who works with them. My nest mother works as an ambassador to them on Saurus Earth."

The answer, despite Hahn's casual attestation that other classmates had a 'similar' situation as far from the case; he hadn't heard that any member of Kytskir's or Tral's family was actually ON Saurus Earth. he wanted to press the issue but presumed he wouldn't get more information. Instead, he chose a different target for inquiry. "What about Vetlyk? He knows a lot about Ilsit too, doesn't he?"

Hahn offered an affirmative clack-clack of his beat as he stood up, removing his head from the Human's lap and shook out his wings. "He should... his sire is the governor of the Vidday province-- that's where the Gateway to Saurus Earth is."

If there was a sensation related to a mind working overtime Kaiden was almost certain he would have felt every single neuron firing off; out of every little piece of information he'd received, the exact location of the Saurus Earth Gateway was not one of them and the sudden, casual reveal as provided by Hahn was not missed. He was so focused on it, in fact, that he must have fallen quiet for some time as his companion ultimately started up the conversation anew with an entirely different topic. "So... how have you enjoyed being a Jiyjah so far, Classmate?"

The sudden switch in address (not to mention the new topic chosen for discussion) gave Kaiden verbal whiplash and his brain had to fight to readjust its focus, not to mention help him keep his cool. Rather than answer the question, the Human took a different approach. "I thought that wasn't the right term for some ONE rather than someTHING. Only objects are supposed to be called Jiyjah, right?"

Hahn responded with a flutter of his wings in a Human-like shrug. It depends on the person; some don't care, and others actually take pride in the title... especially the professionals, like my uncle."

Kaiden recalled one of his classmates saying something to the effect of someone in the group having a family member who was in such a position. Tral maybe? It wasn't Vetlyk-- he didn't do 'rumors'. Probably Nittik, he reasoned. Pushing that quandry out of his thoughts, the Human pressed for more information. "Is that a social stigma of some kind, or does everyone know you have a Jiyjah in the family?"

Hahn let out a squawking laugh, and flicked Kaiden's thigh with his tail. "You are such a zifelt... no, Kaiden, it is not a shame for the family or a social stigma. If anything, having a highly sought-after professional Jiyjah is a mark of honor among a family. If it was that big of a problem do you think I would have been so open about it with you?"

Considering the gryphon's common habit of personal debasement, Kaiden's answer was not accompanied by any hesitation. "Honesty? Yes."

Laughing again, Hahn lowered his head once more to Kaiden's thigh. "Well, it is not, and I am proud of my uncle. There are times for males when a Jiyjah isn't enough, and females can only take so much of a Heijah before she gets bored, so having a professional around is a good thing."

Kaiden used the context to pose his next question. "I guess a Heijah is the hen equivalent of a Jiyjah?"

Hahn click-clacked his beak in affirmative, quickly adding "That is correct... and you are welcome to keep stroking my head feathers. I was enjoying that."

Per his companion's request, the young man returned to running his fingers through the gryphon's feathers; truth be told, he enjoyed the feel of them as well. "So... are gryphons who service females called Heijah then?"

The Viddin head in his lap rotated slightly, the edges of his beak curling up in a wry grin. "Yes they are. Female Heijah service the hens while male Jiyjah handle the males. One of the benefits of that arrangement means more play without extra chicks."

Kaiden recalled one of the greatest issues for Plateau Earth was population control. As large, prolific predators, Viddin had a great impact on their Earth's ecosystem, eating between 10-15% of their bodyweight in food daily, as opposed to a Human, who ate barely half a percent per day. As such, population control and animal husbandry were at the forefront of the Unity Centre's programming. That brought up another question for Kaiden. "How long have Jiyjah and Heijah been around, exactly? The living ones, I mean."

Hahn slowly pulled his head back, shaking out his feathers. "How long? I am not sure. Over a hundred years I'm sure. My uncle said that his uncle taught him the trade, who learned it from his father... so I guess at least four generations. It is an important role, you know."

The Human nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah... I guess so... it's just that Vetlyk said--"

His companion interrupted him right away, not even needing to hear the rest. "That is because it was Vetlyk talking. My uncle is a very proud Jiyjah and even helped me my first time."

Kaiden didn't realize that his brain could stall out so many times during a single discussion. "He 'helped you out'? As in..."

Hahn was all smiles and, as the Human saw, was starting to reveal a small sliver of pink from the opening of his sheath. "Oh. He helped me learn about mating. I had just officially become a tiercel so, in order to show me the ropes of mating, he laid down before me and slid his tail to the side, and then--"

Not particularly needing specifics, Kaiden spoke over him. "No, I get it, Hahn... I just mean, he did that for YOU? His NEPHEW?"

The Viddin flicked his tail again, hitting the Human on his shoulder. "Oh. Well, yes. I was late to fledge, and I gained my adult feathers later than most. The majority of fledglings become full tiercels a full year before I did and my uncle wanted to make sure that I was up to speed so I wouldn't make a fool of myself with all the hens."

A tiercel, Kaiden knew, was the name for an adult male Viddin-- or, more specifically, the English term used for them. To think that Hahn was a 'late bloomer' certainly explained why he was always so quick to avoid addressing things in a mature manner. But his uncle being the one to help him? That blew Kaiden's mind. Still, he set his own social considerations and preconceived notions aside and asked for clarification. "So... DID it help? Were you able to not make a fool of yourself with the hens when you were-- ah... with them?"

The Human didn't miss the way Hahn's nares reddened and the Viddin actually looked away, speaking in a small, mousey tone. "No idea... like I said, I was a late fledge. I haven't been with anyone since my uncle."

Kaiden was flabbergasted; there were fewer things young male Viddin seemed to enjoy more than rutting, and the realization that Hahn hadn't followed suit with the rest opened up a whole new understanding (and more questions) of him. "Nobody other than your uncle?"

A sheepish expression of self depreciating acknowledgement split the Viddin's muzzle as he flopped his back end down onto the path, just over Kaiden's height while sitting as he gazed at him. "No one. When I learned what all of our classmates were doing, I kept finding myself hoping that you would be my second--"

The young man had no qualms about acknowledging that there was a certain thrill of being so intimate with his classmates, and was quite willing to accept Hahn just as he had the other Viddin before him. There was also no reason to keep the poor gryphon wondering where things were going, and so he was perfectly ready to acknowledge consent. "Ye--"

He was interrupted, however, as Hahn continued. "--through twentieth."

Kaiden found himself laughing, but managed to answer. "That's really optimistic... how about we just start with 'second', and see where that leads?"

The feathers around Hahn's beak puffed up and a wide smile creased them further. "Second leads to third... which leads to fourth, which lea---hbnfh."

The Human's fingers closing the eagerly jabbering beak silenced the Viddin, and, once he was quiet, Kaiden slowly removed his hand. "I was barely in my apartment all weekend... how about we head over there? No plans... just... we'll take it slow."

Placing his hand on Hahn's shoulder he felt the Viddin's muscles beneath twitch. Walking arm-on-withers, Kaiden led his classmate back up to the Centre, feeling the gryphon's excitement in the way his body vibrated with eager anticipation. It wasn't the same physiological response that a Human body gave, but Kaiden figured if he were a Viddin he might have been quivering as well.